In the winter of 1973, in New Orleans, Louisiana, a day of terror unfolded that would claim the life of Frank Schneider, a 62-year-old male. On January 7th, Schneider was at his job as the assistant manager of the downtown Howard Johnson's Motor Lodge, a place that would soon become the epicenter of a deadly rampage. The hotel was thrown into chaos when a gunman, later identified as Mark Essex, began a violent assault within its walls.
Responding to reports of a man with a gun, Schneider
encountered the shooter on the 11th floor. In a sudden and brutal act, Essex shot Schneider in the back of the head, killing him instantly. Schneider was not the only victim that day. The hotel's general manager, Walter Sherwood Collins, was also shot and would later die from his injuries. The gunman's spree extended beyond the hotel, as he fired upon guests and responding police officers, creating a scene of widespread panic and fear throughout the city.
The perpetrator of this violent siege was 23-year-old Mark Essex. Motivated by a deep-seated racial hatred, Essex had targeted his victims in a self-declared war against white people. His rampage had begun days earlier and culminated in the prolonged standoff at the Howard Johnson's. The siege finally ended when police, using a military helicopter, cornered Essex on the hotel's roof and killed him in a hail of gunfire. In the aftermath, the city was left to mourn the several lives, including that of Frank Schneider, that were tragically cut short by a lone gunman's violent crusade.
